Yesterday was just a typical Jan.1st morning for RamblinRob. First, I woke up at 11 a.m. from my hangover. Next, I poured coffee down my throat. Than, I nibbled a doughnut. Finally, I turned on some hockey. (Pause for effect and for the turntables to stop and make the screeching sound you hear in all the movies when the main character says something stupid.)
GASP!
No, that was not a typo. Although the National Hockey League numbers have been dwindling the last decade, for the last three New Years I have began my day with the NHL’s newest game, The Winter Classic. That is impressive because I don’t ever watch hockey except for a few playoff and finals games a year. The outdoor game was nothing but sensational. It was on at the perfect time. If only hockey could show all of its games at the right time maybe fans would watch more often than once a season.
The classic has been featured in a different iconic baseball stadium the last three years and this year it was played outdoors in 30 degrees weather in the historic Fenway Park in Boston. The Boston Bruins beat the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 in overtime. The official numbers have not yet been announced but so far the information obtained says that the games were a huge success.
The game was also very profitable for the league. The third Classic was expected to generate $8 million in ticket sales at Fenway Park and $3 million in ad revenue for NBC, triple the total of two years ago. And according to Reuters, the games profitability is continuing to grow. Despite it being played in cold weather, 38,112 freezing-cold-fans attended.
There were many reasons that made this event worth watching. NBC covered the game and they usually do a great job, dating back to their experience for when they use to cover the NBA. Their picture was really clear. Bob “ freaking” Costas ran the halftime show and it was really unique to see an outdoor hockey game played in a baseball stadium. The game was also really competitive. A fight broke out in the first quarter between Shawn Thornton and Daniel Carcillo. And although the Flyers were more aggressive offensively, the Bruins came back and won in overtime on a tip-in shot by Bruins left wing Marco Sturm.
But if the game were not on at such a convenient time, on the right channel, I, nor millions of others, would have seen it. If you don’t have the NHL Network the only other channel that shows the NHL during the season is the unknown cable channel, Versus, which is owned by Comcast and recently merged with NBC Universal. ESPN no longer covers the NHL. NBC will cover most of the bigger playoff games and the finals. The league hit a low-point in 2007 when NBC decided to cut away from a playoff game that went into overtime to show the pre-game of the Preakness. Yes, horse racing.
Not surprisingly, the numbers have been dwindling the past decade for the NHL. Partly because Versus is unknown. If the games were on broadcast network or a more known cable network, regularly, it would be easier for TV surfers to find.
There is another reason why hockey is hurting: their playoff schedule is almost on par with the NBA playoffs. In today’s fast moving world, the on the fence fans will choose basketball games that score into the hundreds over a hockey game that may only have a couple of scores each night. The die-hard fans of the NBA will watch the orange ball and the NHL people will keep their eyes fixed on that big black puck. But the problem persists because there are more basketball fans than hockey ones nationally.
But what if hockey altered its schedule? Hockey playoffs start in April, same as the NBA. Moving the playoffs back a month earlier, to March, would allow it to end in May. By the beginning of that month hockey would be in the third round while the NBA would just be starting the first round. In theory, hockey would try to grab fans like me to watch the conference championship as opposed to the first round of the NBA. I probably would watch more NBA, but I surely would glance for a few minutes a night at what was going on in the third round game of hockey. If both leagues are in their conference championships than forget about it, I’m choosing basketball. I feel like many other would choose the same.
Also, when should the Hockey season start if the playoffs began a month earlier? If the playoffs began in March than the season would have to be shortened and that would mess with the statistical records. One of two scenarios could be done; start the season in August, when there are no big sporting events going on. Or, start the playoffs at the regular date in April but only allow four teams, as opposed to eight, to make the playoffs from each conference. That would allow fewer rounds, and a quicker pace to the Stanley Cup Finals. It would also make the tournament somewhat more intriguing than the NBA one which also has 16 teams who make the playoffs. At times, the NBA post season feels worn out.
For those who disagree with my suggestion, surely agree that something needs to be done. One game a year is not enough to keep hockey going. Sports fans like me may not know many hockey names, or understand all the rules, but the game itself is exciting enough to watch, as long as it does not interfere with the three major sports of baseball, basketball and football.
Take the Winter Classic, for example. The game began at 1:00 p.m. eastern time. The Rose Bowl began four hours later, right after the overtime thriller. There were no other big sports games on in the morning (except some dumb bowl games) It was the perfect curve-ball to start a day that I knew would be filled with college football.
Right place, right time.
